Member
Mechanically similar, same engine and many other parts. Some problems are the same, 540i vs 740i/iL. (Window regulators, radiators, cup holders...)
There are plenty of things that are DIY'able, though in general, not as easy or cheap as the good ol' trusty E30.
The 7er is more luxurious, with much more room for the back seat passengers, and seem to have more creature comforts.
But the 5er (6 speed manual) is a dream to drive and has a stiffer suspension. I wouldn't go for an auto in a 5er. To me, it's either the luxury of the 7er or the sportiness of a 5er manual.
Why the 7er? Because of the style, I guess. If I could do it again, I would have gotten a 2001 740i Sport (instead of the 00 non Sport). If something happened to my car today, I'd probably get the wife's 2003 540i/6 and she would get something else. Or I'd find that perfect (Imola red/black) 2001 740i Sport with the widescreen NAV.
Now days? I think you can get a 2001 7er much less than a 2001 540i/6.
Test drove the E-class last winter. E55AMG is a little much, but the one I would want. Non AMGs are nice, but don't hold the road or feel like a BMW. Plus Mercedes up here are all silver, black, or white. I prefer more unique colors (like O-blue or Imola red!)
M.Wong
E38 2000 740iL Orient Blue
E91 2012 328xiT Alpine White
Passed on to a new families:
E30 1987 325i Royal Blue
E39 2003 540i/6 Sterling Gray
R56 2010 Mini Cooper S British Racing Green
Member
I have driven a 5er only once. It was the first BMW I ever drove. The 5 impressed me but I recall there was very little room for my right foot. It seemed the bell housing was so large that I had to move my right leg to the left in order to work the accelerator. For me it was very uncomfortable. I went for a 2001 740i Sport. All the comfort and performance I'll ever need.
Member
This may have been explained earlier but, quickly, what is the simplest (and perhaps the most accurate) visual cue to tell you whether or not the 7er you're looking at is a Sport model or not?
Member
http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums...3495178&page=1
There is tons of info on this site and e38.org
Member
just bought one today....leaky rad. neck power steering hose leak...lol Also I might add it smells like the stinky guy who used to own it.
Member
To the E38 owners who purchased their car with service history records and safety certification (where applicable), did you still discover a lot of annoying little problems that pop up?
2006 BMW X3
2003 Acura MDX
Member
hi there, sorry to jump in but dont know where to start , first i have a decent 1987 730i, so first question is what class/model is this, second have a few probs with it, 1st, when pressing brake gently things are ok, but if i apply the pedal hard/quick it brings on the brake warning lamp, levels are ok. 2nd when using pas steering i get a sort of, jumping /on/off feel through the steering , can anyone help, thanks
Member
Originally Posted by melevo
Your car is most likely an http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_E32
Member
any chance on info on my problems
Member
Well there's a lot of BS talked about Nikasil engines. Yes, they CAN be a problem but don't forget that most 911's and 928's also used Nikasil, without many problems.
Nikasil, if treated right, doesn't wear out quickly. What does ruin them quickly is poor running in when new. The quickest way to completely bugger one up is get in in the morning, start it up, reverse out of the garage, turn it off. Go and have tea/coffee, come out again and drive the car 1 mile to the shops. Get out, buy milk or whatever and drive the car 1 mile home. The poor engine doesn't stand a chance or warming up and bore wear is rapid. Once the Nikasil coating has a scratch, sulphurous fuel quickly eats away at the scratches and lifts the coating.
I have seen countless Nikasil BMW engines, 6 and 8 cylinder with over 150'000 miles and still going strong. The key is to fire the engine up and not turn it off again until it's good an warm. These high mileage Nikasil motors were fired up and driven for 100 miles before stopping for fuel/food/a p*ss.
With or without a block swap, the M60 is a better engine than the M62 which as far as I can tell can be a complete disaster. M60's used a proper duplex twin row timing chain (so avoiding the stupid chain wheel fault), a conventional thermostat that isn't controlled by the ECU and they seem far less prone to head gasket failure.
My idea of a good E38 is an original Nikasil 730i or 740i, running sweet with 150'000 miles. It's worth very little because every expert knows about the potential engine problems but looked after it will do 200'000. The build quality of the E38 is not equal to the E32 - to me it's just a big E36 with some very Ford/GM bit of trim plastic but they do look nice.
The Germans had a six speed manual option for the 740i. Bastards.
As for Hondas - well the 2.7 V6 Legend was a piece of rubbish as was the useless Rover Sterling that used the Honda engine.
1 FLY IL
Just purchased an orient blue-2000 740IL a week ago. First BMW actually owning. Found this awsome web site with loads of info. Anyways my car has a lot of moon/sun roof noise. What is the cause of this and what is the typical repair
Member
My exact question (yeah, I should've read before posting in the 5er forum). I wouldn't consider any non-AMG Mercedes sedan, so the E-Class isn't an option...but I simply can't decide between the 5er and the 7er. Yeah, the 7 looks better and is more luxurious, but the 5 is lighter and seems quicker and nimbler. Dammit.What would the reasons be to choose a 740i over a 540i?
I am interested in getting another car for more comfort and practicality. My daily beater has been great at what it does and my project car keeps me busy all year round as well. What I'm looking to add to my driveway now is a large (i.e. practical) 4-door highway cruiser with occasional city driving.
I've been checking out the 740i at the same time as both E34 540/535s and E39 540s. The E39s are little pricier than the E38s but you get that excellent 6-speed manual tranny and the classic sports sedan lines. However, I'm willing to go with a slushbox for a 7-series. Speed & acceleration isn't high on my priority list.
* Is reliability between the 740i and E39 540i fairly similar? From reading this and other E38 forums, there seems to be lots of little problems that require not-so-little funds for repairs. Quite honestly, this scares me a bit.
* As a DIYer, are repairs fairly straightforward on an E38 as it is on an E30 or even an E34?
* Would you say size is the main benefit of the 7 over the 5? (Why did you guys choose a 7 instead of a 5-series?)
* What are your thoughts on the E320 or E420 Benz (also up for consideration) vs. the 740i?
Thanks for all your feedback, guys!
Fred
-Zack
Member
you can either try to adjust the sunroof: http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums...1942244&page=1
or change the gasket to the newer/upgraded FELT-backed unit, good tips here from Sarasota: http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/290412/
Last edited by kromdom; 12-21-2006 at 10:53 PM.
Member
Hey guys, Merry xmas! I am looking at purchasing a 1999 740iL in Brisbane. I've noticed that you have multiple issues mentioned in previous listings. What in particular should I look at when evaluating a potential purchase?
Member
best to read the FIRST page of this STICKY. And if available, pay a tech to do a prepurchase inspection.
Go here and look at the GENERAL section for other write ups: http://www.e38.org/
Member
I bought a 1997 740iL in 1999 and got an aftermarket warranty that was awesome. It even covered an exterior rear drivers side door handle that broke off - to the amazement of the dealer. I also got the dash and MIDS displays replaced due to pixel failure.
In 2003 I found a 2001 740 iL Sport that included goodies missing in my 1997 - Xenon headlghts, Navigation, rain sensing wipers, etc. And it was a CPO car.
BUT... the CPO warranty was nowhere near as good as the aftermarket one I'd had before on the 1997. In particular the NAV system failed after the initial warranty and in the CPO period and WAS NOT COVERED.
As the CPO warranty ran out last summer (June 2006), I bit the bullet and bought four more years (or 100K miles) of an aftermarket warranty that covers all the electronics etc. that the CPO had not.
I plan to keep the car at least two more years - it only has 52000 miles and I only put about 5000/year - and I figure the transferable waranty will be a selling point in 2008 or so.
The only problem will be what to get next. :-( I really like the E38!
Member
What aftermarket warranty provider do you use? Do they have a website? I might look into doing the same thing.
Member
Also interested since I am shopping around for a cheaper carrier. I currently have a 3 yr/36K mile plan with Mercury Insurance ($100 deductible), pretty much bumper-to-bumper for $3K.
Not many carriers will sell direct to the public plus some will not sell to cars with over 60K-70K.
Maj USMC (Ret)
I bought a 2000 740i Sport from a reputable dealer (Advantage Certified) in Manassas, VA. I took it to Fairfax Server Center, Fairfax, VA to have it checked out during the 5-day no questions asked money back guarantee period. They found it in great shape except for 2 P/S lines that were leaking slightly. Advantage Certified fixed them and several other items and I was on my way.
I would really like to do several things to upgrade the Nav/Comp/Audio but there seem to be some limiting factors with DSP in 2000 models.
I bought an Aux kit from bavsound. I haven't installed it yet, but know it will definitely remove the 6-CD changer from play. This is not a big deal because I can put as much on on MP3 (if that's what I decide to "aux" to) as the 6 CDs, but I wonder what it will do to my Nav screen display when cycling through the CD portion.
There's a local place here called Underground Audio that I've seen do amazing work on many vehicles (sort of a Unique Whips kind of place). They will put an Eclipse Nav/Mp3/AM/FM/Aux unit replacing the entire stock Nav/Comp/Audio unit. I don't know if the driving computer stuff (fuel consumption, avg speed, etc.) will still be intact or not. Obviously it will not be visible when the unit is replaced, but it might still be visible (if not settable) on the dash where you can cycle through it with the turn signal switch.
Member
Sorry, im new here...
My 99 740 il is making noise in a right front corner when brakes are applied sometimes or on slight road bumps/holes...
took it to alignment shop, they did not find a thing wrong with it, suggested that may be something wrong in the shock itself, inside.
I just wanna listen to your guys opinion, since its my 1st bimmer..
Tnx
Member
Welcome... You should post a new thread (instead of adding to this one) and make the title something like "Help with front end noise, 99 740iL"
M.Wong
E38 2000 740iL Orient Blue
E91 2012 328xiT Alpine White
Passed on to a new families:
E30 1987 325i Royal Blue
E39 2003 540i/6 Sterling Gray
R56 2010 Mini Cooper S British Racing Green
Member
Thanks for all the info, it was helpful. Sometimes to much can scare people away, I find my 740iL a lot more reliable than my Mercedes V-Class MPV.If the list of potential faults was put on paper we would be on page 50 by now. It is handy to know the faults though.
Alan
Member
Justbought a 98 740 I last month, rasio display has problems mentioned, replaced gear in passenger window and had to replace co2 sensors (2)
Other than that, the car is awesome!!!! (so far)
Member
Hi all
I'm thinking about a 7er for myself, so here go my questions(i hope it's ok to ask a lot..i'm a newb in BMW..)
first thing, the Pricing for an e38 in Russia(dat's where i'm from) is ab 11K for a 94 728i to 35K for 2001 L7, so they're pretty pricey, and i don't want to buy ,f.e. a 728 and after a month determine that it's not what i want and think about a 730(740,750 etc).I'm 100% sure it will be a 7er because i used to have a 520 e39(1999) with a manual trans, liked it a lot, but the 5er is too small for me.I really enjoy the look the e38 has..
the questions are:
which engine would you recommend?why?
If i have the choise to get a car with manual trans, should i go for it? ( there are a lot of 728, 730, and some 735 and 740 on sale with MT)
should i go for the newer year or lower miles?(forget about the Service records, i'm im Russia)
also, would really appreciate any other handy info - been reading the Forum for 4 days, and finally registered today..
10x, Alex
Member
ALEX,
Welcome. A few guys prefer the manual tranny so they will envy you if you can get one. My personal philosophy is: buy the newest car one can afford so my vote goes to the M62 (has improvements/refinements over the M60).
The mechanical health of the car is of bigger concern to me, more so than model year or mileage.
I got lucky to have found my '01: fully loaded, in pristine shape (in and out) and average mileage. More reading for you (if you feel like it):
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ies/index.html
http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/17971
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